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Finally, the wolves won. Then Alaska's Board of Game changed the rules.

February 01, 2006 | Wolves

On the 17th of January, Alaska's Superior Court declared that the aerial wolf control scheme, in which people in aircraft chase wolves to exhaustion and then shoot them, is invalid. The airborne hunting permits, issued to boost moose populations for human hunters, flew in the face of the Board of Game's own regulations. Since 2003, 445 wolves have been gunned down using those permits that were wrongly issued. The state wants to wipe out 400 more wolves under the scheme this season, but the permits were recalled. So Alaska's Board of Game called an emergency meeting -- as though its lack of competence in adhering to its own rules is properly called an emergency.

Sunday, the 29th of January, the Board just flat-out repealed requirements for public notice and input regarding wolf and bear control. It also repealed all requirements and limitations that apply generally to wolf control -- the very bases for the Court's initial January ruling that existing wolf control plans are invalid! For the first time in history, Alaska's officials are allowing the sale of bear hides and skulls. The Board of Game decided to apply this rule in a part of northeastern Alaska, and the interior areas where aerial wolf hunting has been allowed. Bruce Bartley, a Fish and Game spokesperson, said that when Alaska gained statehood, many residents thought federal laws had targeted wolves and bears too ruthlessly, and the new state "wanted to treat them as animals worthy of respect in their own right." As Bartley told the Anchorage Daily News: Things are different now. Animals aren't worthy of respect these days in Alaska. Their fate lies with a capricious Game Board, or game-playing board. When caught in their games, they try, like peeved children, to change the rules. Friends of Animals' goal is to stop the entire scheme. Last Friday -- ten days after the wolves prevailed in Court -- we returned, seeking a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the Game Board's "emergency" circumvention. Yesterday, the judge turned down our Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order against the emergency regulations adopted by the Board last week. So predator control can go forth, under the new regulations we've just challenged. We're now considering our legal options. Please consider making a donation to our efforts on behalf of Alaska's wolves.

Comments

Submitted by Joanne on Wed, 2006-02-15 11:45

Jimmie; the alaska I recall precedes your memories by several decades. Wild canines aka "wolves" in alaska are a life form that by republican (the stars are aligned didn't the repbubs actually say in Juneau- do you recall Jimmie etc; therefore debate is futile and a waste of republican time etc) legislation are no longer allowed to live in Alaska in spite of the fact that God put the wild canines here. They were here before the repubs and hunters and fisherman. The arial shooting and killing is particularly harmful to civilization. Shooting from the air is a military-type tactic. This is NOT a militarized zone I don't believe... I think of Alaska as a primarily residential zone where things and human beings "live". Those participating in this killing are experiencing a "thrill" we, in civil society, don't want them to experience and enjoy on our perimeters!!! When the wild canines are irradicated what will feed & excite the killers then? They will ignorantly and certainly become insatiable which is spiritually bad for the killers and disinterrested others. Shooting canines from the air is obviously stupid alaskan public policy and I believe promotes evilness. The arrogance of repubs is evidenced by their immediate desire to striate opportunities to live and prosper in their red alaska based on a genetic selection the repubs propose in their sequestered, segregated little chambers away from public scrutiny while dully engaging in low-level group-think in Juneau unchallenged by debate. It's amazingly ugly. I'm an (inadvertant) elder. Don't you listen to elders? Oh well. Live and learn. Wild canines were snared by my grandfather and my mother is still haunted by these experiences. I love wild canines. I think they are intelligent. They celebrate full moons etc. Did you know this Jimmie? Wolves have holidays for crying out loud. The wild canines do kill somewhat inefficiently as best as they can to eat which is why the repubs don't like them. Why not feed them. Canines like that and then they become friends. The canine have an innate, God-given desire to be our "friends" I believe. I'm ethnic. I live here too. How come my views don't count in Juneau, Jimmie? How come repubs won't pay for educational facilities outside of a few towns and cities where their kids live huh Jimmie; so everyone can learn and be actively engaged economically? Repubs don't want wild canine friends. This is laughable to them. The repub thought processes are stunted I believe and the repubs are "leading" the way??? The repubs are the "elders" you listen to Jimmie? 'Course "they" teach by t.v. Do you watch t.v.? What a mistake. How many sides to coin Jimmie? One? The repub side? That's what I thought. How efficient. One side to everything. Well, that's settled in the typical repub alaskan way. How inviting and engaging...hah, not so much...Canada is better. They don't declare wolves "out of existence" and shot from the air. Which is more civil. Should we have more or less civility? You choose.

Submitted by dave on Wed, 2006-02-01 12:22

boy these knuckleheads are on a real roll, kill the wolfs,kill the bears,kill the moose. what are they going to do when the population expands up there.issue permits to kill them too. maybe you should push them into a jury hearing where they will loose. and sue the state and the board and even the individuals on the board.give them ulcers and make them sweat bullets when they now have there personal assets on the line for going through life being idiots.see how qiuck they change there tune when there infront of a jury of alaskans whose majority voted twice to end this hunt.now they don't have their pinhead polititions to bail them out.

Submitted by Priscilla Feral on Wed, 2006-02-01 15:03

A few of the comments from Alaskans who send blog postings are either so demented or manipulative that they're deleted for the sake of efficiency and civility. Some try to rewrite history and lecture about courts, FoA's intentions, or other distractions about which they make it up as they go along. When the State of Alaska (under the governance of Walter Hickel) sued us in 1993 for calling a tourism boycott in response to a new wolf control program, they lost in court, and paid our attorney's fees. We don't win every legal challenge, nor do we expect to, but the outrageous actions of a minority of Alaskans will continue to be opposed at every level, in every forum and at every opportunity. Friends of Animals is adamantly opposed to the aerial wolf and bear shootings, and to a tightknit group of bureaucrats who gerrymander to justify predator control. The world community has something to say, and Friends of Animals, along with its many members in Alaska, won't be silenced.
Priscilla Feral
Friends of Animals

Submitted by Molly C. on Wed, 2006-02-01 16:34

Dear Priscilla,
I thank you for helping these wolves. The survival of the wolf population is very important to me. I have made a wolf petition to help protest against areal wolf killing at my school. I have collected signatures from teachers, janitors, teachers, students, and even more people. I intend to send my petition to theAnchorage Superior Court to try to emphasize Judge Sharon Gleason's point against aerial wolf killing. Please, everyone, keep hoping that the wolves make it through this.
Molly C.
[ Blog editors' note: Many thanks and do send letters to the Anchorage Daily News. Address: letters@adn.com]

Submitted by Francis Murray on Wed, 2006-02-01 18:21

Hi - I live in Alaska. I am against the wolf killings.
It is wrong to Kill the wolf so as to artificially keep moose herds up so that people can kill the moose. This is wrong. I do know that public out cry against this does help. I hope that each and every one of you calls our state and writes letters to our newspapers telling how wrong it is for the Board of Game to manage our wild life in this way. Many other factors contribute to low populations of moose: hard winters, hunters, etc.. If moose populations are low the first thing is to stop the hunters from hunting. Let the wolf do its job of keeping the herds strong by killing the weak. Natural selection has its place for a reason. I also know that our Gov. wants to improve the image of Alaska. There was an article about this in the Juneau Empire yesterday I think. So
I think now is a great time to raise holy hell about what Alaska does to its wild life. Write to our papers, write to your papers about this. Write to all the hunting / touring guides and tell them that you are going else where with your$.
Please.

Submitted by Monique Prendergast on Wed, 2006-02-01 19:31

This slaughter of Alaska's wild creatures is so wrong. When will humans stop messing things up???? Never I am afraid.

Submitted by Terry from Alaska on Wed, 2006-02-01 20:20

Priscilla wrote:
"Friends of Animals is adamantly opposed to the aerial wolf and bear shootings, and to a tightknit group of bureaucrats who gerrymander to justify predator control."
Not only is FoA against these things, they're against all forms of hunting, even if hunting is the only means of putting meat on the table. Oh, that's right FoA is against all forms of consuming meat and wants the world to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. FoA will stop at nothing to advance their agenda. Why don't you tell people what your really against and stop playing on the bleeding hearts of nieve people to further your idiotic agenda?
[Blog editors' note: Copies of Dining With Friends: The Art of North American Vegan Cuisine are available at a discount to Alaskans for $19.95. We'll pay the shipping.]

Submitted by Augie Lombardoz... on Wed, 2006-02-01 21:40

The heartless non sporting murder of wolves to increase moose populations for the hunting industry is wrong. Issue less moose licenses and charge more for those you do. This will increase moose populations without dropping revenue. Let those who wish to hunt carry the cost not the wolf!!!! Augie

Submitted by Francis Murray on Wed, 2006-02-01 23:17

Posted a comment a little while ago and have been thinking. Now would be a real good time to â€œBoycott Alaskaâ€ through the internet. I've seen it where folk from all over the world take pictures of them selves holding a sign opposing something. Could start one opposing the wolf slaughter in Alaska. Now, before the tourist season takes off. I don't know anything about how to do it, but was hoping someone would take the ball. The article I mentioned above in my last posting is located at Juneauempire.com dated January 19, 2006. Iâ€™ve copied and pasted some of it below. Our governor mentioned in his State Of The State Address he wants to improve the image of Alaska. The timing would be perfect.
Copied and pasted from the Juneau empire:
Gov. Frank Murkowski, in his State of the State address last week, made a point to legislators that most Alaskans have made to each other over the years: "The nation's view of Alaska is sorely distorted."
Learn from the masters. At least, that's what the governor suggested, and we think it's an idea worth study. Gov. Murkowski urged the Legislature to solicit proposals for a national education campaign "to accurately portray Alaska."

Submitted by Susan GraWolfe on Thu, 2006-02-02 13:26

I am saddened at the total lack of humanity of some of these "people" (Norton, Murkowski, Board members). I was given the name GraWolfe because of my love and devotion to the wolf and protection of them. I haven't been to Alaska in years and won't until they stop killing not only the wolves, but the bears and even the moose. Like one of your other comments say: Natural selection has its place for a reason.
Maybe some Natural selection is needed in the Alaskan administration!